SIR – Having read the stories in the Worcester News about Bill Longmore and his handling of his deputy’s appointment, I must express my thoughts on the matter.

I voted for Mr Longmore as I considered that if we had to have this unwanted post of police and crime commissioner it would be better outside the politcal arena and outside the police arena.

However, this appointment of a deputy on what to many will appear a wholly exorbitant salary smacks to me of another case of an endemic society that exists within our police force at all levels.

Officers at all levels have the benefit of early retirement on salaries and with tax-free bonuses that many of us can only dream of.

What many then tend to do is to pick up lucrative and selective positions still within the force so that not only have they taken their pensions but are also taking generous salaries.

What is even more galling, is that these are positions that should be made available to people who are still in the force or in many cases qualified personnel who are outside of the force.

If they retire when they are entitled to, it should be a condition that if they are to then be re-employed within the force their pensions are frozen until such time as they do in fact retire.

Mr Longmore’s post is supposedly one whereby we, the electorate, get to have a say in the running and performance of our police, not one of their chums from the police cosying up to their old pals and running it as a club. Mr Longmore has to give real positive reasons for his misdirected opinion on this matter.

We did not vote for selfregulation of the police by the police.

I would also be very interested to hear readers’ views on the widespread reemployment of police officers after retirement.

DAVID SMITH

Worcester